


Beginnings

by buslimpan



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, McHanzo Week, Noodle Dragons, Sadness, Undercover, Young!Hanzo, Young!McCree, accedential timetraveler!hanzo, character death in chapter four, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-15 18:56:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11237166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buslimpan/pseuds/buslimpan
Summary: Some scenes from AUs that my mind have come up with that fitted in McHanzo week.Sorry, won't do the rest of the days. Life got busy and I lost my inspiration.





	1. Morning/Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for the prompt Day 1:Morning/Night. Although it doesn't come that clear now and this probably would have worked better for the undercover prompt... Anyway.
> 
> I'm not sure how much I'll be able to write for this week, but I'm going to try to write something for each day. Don't expect good quality, I'm not really in a phase where I can write but I'm going to try. And, as for these fics, they are all a small part of a bigger universes that I've come up but feel like I don't have the ability to properly write at the moment. If anyone is curious on the AUs, you're welcome to ask me.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this.

“McCree!”  
   
The shout made Jesse groan as he was pulled out of his light sleep. He curled around the pillow and tried to let sleep reclaim. Another shout and a bang on the door made him only more aware of that this wasn’t his bed back at the base.  
   
He didn’t get more time to think about it before the door slammed open, making him sit straight up in bed with his heart in his throat. In walked Gabriel Reyes with a disapproving frown.  
   
“Get up, kid. You got work to do,” he said and dumped a pile of clothes in Jesse’s lap. Jesse blinked and stared blankly at the clothes before he shook his head and glanced towards the clock.  
   
“It’s 4:30, boss,” he groaned and fell back down. “What could possibly need my attention now?”  
   
Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “Have you forgotten what you are supposed to do?”  
   
Jesse laid still for a moment before he raised his right hand. “We’re supposed to recon the area, right?”  
   
A heavy sigh and a grumble that Jesse didn’t catch. “You are supposed to work undercover in the coffee shop ‘Amelia’s Coffee’ for at least a month. Depending on what we get out of it, it will either be longer or shorter. So get dressed and prepare for work.” With that, Gabriel turned around and walked out of the room, leaving the door wide open.  
   
Jesse gave the door the middle finger and laid still in bed for a minute before he gathered the quilt around him. He shivered when his feet touched the floor, but he resisted the urge to crawl back into bed. After the door was closed, and locked, he took a look on the clothes. A simple white shirt and blue jeans. He grumbled as he pulled them on.  
   
He stifled a yawn as he walked into the safe house's kitchen.  
   
“You’re finally up, good. Get some food in you and get the move on. Don’t want you to be late,” Gabriel said without looking up from the newspaper in his hands.  
   
“Where’s everyone?” Jesse mumbled as he navigated through the cabinets for something to eat.  
   
“Sleeping. Their jobs start later.”  
   
“And then why are you up?”  
   
“To wake up your sorry ass. Now hurry before you get fired. Remember where the place is?” Gabriel glanced at Jesse as he took a seat on the other side of the table with a sandwich in his hand.  
   
Jesse took a bite of his sandwich in thought as he tried to recall all of the information he had gotten. He swallowed the bite and nodded. “Yup, pretty sure of it.”  
   
“Are you sure? You seemed pretty out of it a few minutes ago,” Gabriel said and threw a critical eye at Jesse.  
   
“Because you woke me up from my sleep, you ass,” Jesse said and pointed an accusing finger at the other man.  
   
“Good to see you muttering nonsense again. Eat up and go, you report when you get back here. Give us a ping if there is an emergency.”  
   
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Jesse knew when he was dismissed and therefore didn’t linger any longer in the kitchen than necessary. After all, he had a new job to do.  
   
~  
   
He hated this. He had barely worked in the shop for two hours and he already hated it. So much people was coming in and out of the shop and while most people wasn’t rude, very few seemed to appreciate Jesse’s work effort. He swore to himself that he would make Gabriel pay for forcing him to work at this place.  
   
“Huh. You’re new.”  
   
Jesse blinked out of his own little world and looked at the new person who was ready to order. His breath got caught in his throat as he took in the appearance of the man in front of him. Long hair that rolled past his shoulders, dark eyes narrowed at him and lips pushed into a thin line.  
   
Jesse tried to shake himself of the stare he slided into, but he couldn’t stop the small flutter in his stomach. He had to stop himself to reach for a non-existing hat to tip.  
   
“Howdy! I’m Jesse. How did’ya know that that I was new?” he asked as he leaned on the counter and smiled.  
   
The man raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ve never seen you here before. A latte please,” he said and Jesse was forced to work on the order, despite that he just wanted to ogle at the handsome stranger.  
   
“So, you’re a regular?” he couldn’t help to ask when he handed the man his latte.  
   
“Yes,” he simply said before he started to make room for the next person.  
   
“I’ll see you then!” Jesse said with a big grin as he waved after the man. He received a huff in response, but it only made him grin bigger.  
   
Maybe these weeks wouldn’t be as bad as he thought.


	2. Canon Divergence/Alternate Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanzo ends up in an accident with Tracer's accelerator that throws him decades back in time. It's not quite what he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: Canon Divergence/Alternate Universe
> 
> This actually turned out pretty good? And longer than I thought. This is a small part of a bigger universe/idea I have come up with, but I suppose it can work on it's own. And sorry for the adrupt end, if I hadn't ended it there it would have gone on forever...
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

The common room was bustling with activity, even more so than Hanzo was used to, but he supposed he had no choice than to be in the room. After all, he had requested to be outside his ‘guest room’ for a while and the Overwatch Command didn’t trust him enough to hand him a weapon for training or letting him outside of the base.  
   
The grip on the datapad in his hands hardened and he prepared himself mentally before he walked fully into the room. He ignored the steps behind him of his babysitter and the eyes that fell upon him. The activity slowed down slightly and the talking reduced to hushed tones. A pang of longing struck him. He had barely been here for three days and he was already missing the people from the recalled Overwatch who he had come to see as family.  
   
Taking a seat in an armchair, he closed his eyes to collect himself. When he opened them again, he silently watched how the activity slowly in the room picked up again. In the corner of his eye he saw his babysitter take a seat on the sofa with their own datapad and pretended to read it, but Hanzo knew that they weren’t going to take an eye off him. It was someone who he didn’t recognize, so it was probably someone who either never answered the call to bring Overwatch back or it was someone who never came out of the fall alive.  
   
He didn’t recognize anyone else in the room either. He knew that Overwatch was big in the old days, but he supposed he never understood how big. Or just how few that actually answered the recall. Or how few that actually survived long enough to answer it.  
   
Hanzo shook his head and turned on the datapad in order to distract himself, he didn’t need this headache. Maybe next time he would be able to convince the Command to let him find a silent place to mediate in.  
   
~  
   
The activity and noise barely declined at all during the hours Hanzo spent in the common room. So when he heard the sound of spurs against the floor amongst the noise, his head whipped up and he looked around for the source of it. His eyes landed on a familiar hat and his heart skipped a beat but a mixture of disappointment and sadness rose up in him when he took in the rest of the man. Boy would be a better word, he decided quickly.  
   
Hanzo watched as a young Jesse McCree, far younger than he was used to, walk towards the cafeteria with a slump in his shoulders. Hanzo could imagine the pout that would graze the cowboy’s face. He raised an eyebrow as the boy stopped and started to look around and he didn’t look away when Jesse’s eyes found his. He watched as Jesse said something to the dark skinned man in front of him and he didn’t flinch away when both of their eyes looked at him. He gave them a polite nod before he looked down into the datapad again, not doubting that they would approach him now.  
   
His assumption was correct when the sound of the spurs came closer and his babysitter shot up from their seat.  
   
“Commander Reyes!”  
   
The named ringed a bell in Hanzo’s mind. Lena had mentioned that name once. He looked up to see the dark skinned man, Reyes, stand in front of him and give him a critical eye.  
   
“At ease, soldier,” he said and the babysitter hesitated before they slowly sunk down into their seat again. Reyes gave Hanzo his whole attention and Hanzo powered the datapad down and leaned back comfortably.  
   
He gave the man a respectful nod. “Commander Reyes.”  
   
Reyes eyes narrowed just a fraction. “You are not an Overwatch Agent.” Hanzo wanted to chuckle at the statement.  
   
“I suppose I’m not. Do you wish me to call you something else?” he asked, not even bothering to hide the amusement at the irony of it all.  
   
Reyes shook his head. “It’s fine. Then I guess you’re our special guest.”  
   
Hanzo huffed at those words. “‘Guest’ wouldn’t be the word I would use, Commander Reyes, but I suppose that would be the prettier term,” he said and glanced at the cowboy that was standing slightly behind the commander. His expression was mostly schooled, but Jesse couldn’t hide the curious glint in his eyes from Hanzo.  
   
A huff that sounded suspiciously like a laugh turned Hanzo’s attention back to Reyes.  
   
“True that. Now, we noticed that you were looking curious at us,” the man said and made a small nodding motion towards Jesse.  
   
“You can’t blame a man for being curious when he sees a cowboy walking into the room,” Hanzo said to Reyes before he turned his full attention to Jesse. Very much the same, but yet so different from the Jesse he has come to know. The biggest difference was his left arm. It wasn’t mechanical, but made of flesh and bone. He had never thought he would see Jesse’s real arm outside the few photos he had found.  
   
The boy cleared his throat and rubbed his neck in what Hanzo recognized as a nervous tick.  
   
“So, uh, did’ya want somethin’?” he asked and Hanzo almost didn’t believe that Jesse had spoken if it hadn’t been for the accent and that he had seen Jesse’s lips utter them.  
   
“No, not really,” Hanzo hummed before a smirk came to his lips, “but I suppose you could humor an old man with the tale of your costume.”  
   
The sputter from Jesse made Hanzo pleased with himself and Reyes laugh.  
   
“I told you that outfit was ridiculous, kiddo!” the man said and Jesse grumbled under his breath.  
   
Hanzo turned his attention back to Reyes despite how cute he found Jesse pouting like that. “Though that does hold some truth. I am pretty bored since Strike Commander Morrison and Commander Amari thinks it’s better for me to be locked up in the room I was given. I was barely allowed to come out here and read something I’ve already read before and even then I’m not allowed some time alone,” he said and motioned towards his babysitter.  
   
They frowned. “Sir, I was given the order to watch and escort him. I’m not allowed to leave him alone,” they said and Reyes nodded.  
   
“You must understand that the guard is for everyone’s safety. But I can see what I can do to stifle your boredom. What do you suggest?”  
   
“I would prefer to be given time to practice at the shooting range-”  
   
“Yer a military?” Jesse interrupted and Reyes and Hanzo gave him a glance before Hanzo shook his head. He was not, at least not in the sense that Jesse suggested.  
   
“I’m an archer. I am willing to keep my… guard… and leave the bow when asked. But to only sit still day in and day out are going to drive any man crazy. Any exercise would suffice though, I suppose.”  
   
Hanzo looked at Reyes and saw him regarding him silently. They stared at each other, neither breaking eye contact.  
   
“McCree, follow him to the shooting range,” he said after several moments of silence, still staring at Hanzo.  
   
“What?”  
   
“You heard me, kiddo. Take our guest-”  
   
“Hanzo,” Hanzo supplied and Reyes nodded.  
   
“Take Mr. Hanzo to the shooting range. I’ll make sure there is a bow and some arrows on site so he can practice,” he said and Hanzo couldn’t help but to smile slightly. He has gotten too soft if he had this easily to smile.  
   
He bowed his head in gratitude. “Thank you, Commander Reyes. I appreciate this,” he said and looked back up. Reyes nodded before he turned around and started to walk around.  
   
“I’ll talk to Morrison and Amari about your arrangements. Now go and train.”  
   
Hanzo and Jesse watched the commander walk away before they looked at each other.  
   
Hanzo gave the boy a smirk. “Seems like you can humor me with the tale on the way to the shooting range,” he said and Jesse pouted. Hanzo rose up from his seat but didn’t get the chance to take more than one step before his babysitter bounced up.  
   
“I can’t just let you go like that!”  
   
Jesse waved his hand in a dismissive manner. “Don’t worry, I got it. Look it as free time,” he said but the babysitter still hesitated. Jesse gave them a look before they sighed and shook their head.  
   
“Fine. It Morrison asks, I’m going to send him to you and Reyes.” With that, they walked away.  
   
Jesse turned towards Hanzo who had watched the interaction with interest. “You comin’?”  
   
Hanzo nodded and started to walk beside the cowboy.  
   
They walked in silence for quite some time, but Hanzo could feel the glances Jesse threw him the whole time.  
   
“So, uh… How come you are here?” Jesse finally asked and Hanzo raised an eyebrow as he turned his head to look at his companion.  
   
“I’m here because I got the allowance to use the shooting range,” he said and Jesse groaned.  
   
“No, I mean, why are you our ‘guest’?”  
   
Hanzo shrugged. “They brought me here after they found me unconscious in one of the anti-omnic’s bases. No, I do not know how I ended up there. The last thing I remember is an explosion,” he said and turned his head forward again.  
   
“I didn’t ask all that!”  
   
“But you were going to. Everyone else has,” Hanzo countered and savored the small victory the silence provided.  
   
They soon reached the shooting range and just like Reyes promised, there was a bow and some arrows there. Jesse took a seat so he could see Hanzo practice as Hanzo walked to the weapon and began to inspect it. Soon enough he was shooting at the targets he had been given.  
   
~  
   
“Y’know, yer really good,” Jesse said after quite some time. Hanzo didn’t acknowledge him as he nocked another arrow and pulled the string. It hit the target with a heavy and satisfying thump. He nocked another arrow and fired it.  
   
“Why aren’t ya trying to get away from here?”  
   
The question made Hanzo pause in his movement to take another arrow out of the quiver. “Why would I?”  
   
“Well, I mean, ya obviously have someone waiting for ye.” Hanzo lowered the bow from its position and turned around to look at Jesse. Jesse motioned towards Hanzo’s hands when the archer didn’t say anything. Hanzo knew what he was referring to and lifted his left hand, letting the silver ring catch some of the light.  
   
“They must be missing ya,” Jesse said and Hanzo didn’t miss the curious tone in his voice. He looked at Jesse and he could imagine an older version sitting there, smirking and looking pleased with himself.  
   
Hanzo huffed but couldn’t help the smile. “I suppose he would.”  
   
“What’s he like?” Jesse asked and Hanzo closed his eyes. The memory of cigar smoke and cologne, of soft touches and scruffy beard tickling him, of boisterous laughter and a soothing voice, washed over him. He opened his eyes and looked at the boy not far from him.  
   
“A real charmer,” he chuckled. ”Trustworthy. A ridiculous man, but a loyal one. And one of the best marksmen I’ve ever come across,” he said and turned back to the target and nocked an arrow. “Not sure where I would be without him.” He aimed and took a steadying breath. He released the arrow and watched it fly through the air.  
   
“But I’m sure it would be quite different.” The arrow hit its mark.


	3. Undercover/Downtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jesse takes a break from his recon mission and meets the regular from the coffee shop at an unusual place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: Undercover/Downtime
> 
> This is a continuation from Day 1. I hope this makes up a bit for that shitty chapter... Also: While Hanzo was trained to be an assassin when he was younger, in this AU he and Genji escaped the clan(and for whatever reason the clan just let them be) and now he is an art student. So he's telling the truth here, with no ultior motive. He's also happier because, well, what's stopping him from enjoying things? Sorry if it's too ooc...
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Jesse grumbled as he climbed the ladder up to the top of the building. His legs were complaining with each push upwards and his shoulders felt stiff.  
   
“I’m going to shoot Gabe when I get back,” he grumbled as he finally heaved himself over the edge. Not much was up here, except some pipes for the air vents. Perfect. He could lean against them and take a break from this recon mission.  
   
He sat down and let out a relieved groan as his legs finally got a chance to rest. He put Peacemaker beside him and began to dig for a cigar and a lighter in his pockets. When he found said items, he lighted the cigar and took a deep breath. The smoke curled in his lungs and he could feel the tension in his body slowly bleed out. He blew it out and watched it drift upwards.  
   
He was so ready to crawl into his bed, preferably the one in Gilbitar but he guessed that the one he had now would be good enough. His eyes drifted towards the setting sun and put the cigar to his lips again, his mind wandering back to the morning. It had been hectic in the coffee shop this morning and had extended well into the middle of the day. He had been forced to stay longer and when he finally got back to their temporary base, Gabe had sent him out to recon the area. Claimed that it was his turn to do it, despite that everyone knew he had to wake up early in order to make it to the job he had been given. Worst of all, that pretty regular hadn’t showed up at all.  
   
Jesse let out another groan and rubbed his face. This day sucked.  
   
Sounds of scraping coming from in front of him made him remove his hand. Nothing was in his immediate sight, but the sound grew closer and with it his awareness spiked. He slowly inched his hand towards his gun in case something decided to jump him.  
   
What he was not expecting was the cute regular from the shop climb over the edge. And it was clear that he hadn’t expected anyone to be up here either.  
   
“... Jesse?” the young man asked as he slowly straightened up. Jesse discreetly hid his gun away and pushed his hat upwards in greeting.  
   
“Howdy! Fancy meeting you here!” he said with a grin but worry gnawed inside of him. It wasn’t exactly normal to just bump into someone on the roof. And then something registered in his mind.  
   
“Ye remember my name!” he gasped and he couldn’t stop grinning like an idiot. The other man narrowed his eye slightly.  
   
“Well, of course. It’s not easy to miss such a… personality. Especially when said personality has taken a residence inside my favorite coffee shop,” he said and dusted his gloved hands off on his pants. Jesse took a moment to take in the other’s appearance properly. Tight training clothes adorned his body and Jesse couldn’t help but to notice the small redness in his face.  
   
“Speaking of the shop, didn’t see ya this morning. What kept you away?” Jesse asked and scooted to the side as the man came closer. He hoped that he would sit beside him, but he got disappointed when the man leaned against the vent pipe.  
   
“Had a test this morning. I think that is prioritized over some coffee,” he said and Jesse shrugged.  
   
“I guess,” he mumbled and silence grew between the two, wariness growing inside Jesse. He felt the small pressure of Peacemaker pressed against his lower back where he had hid it and questions ran through his head. He took another drag from the cigar as he slowly lost himself.  
   
“Hanzo.”  
   
The voice broke through Jesse’s thoughts and he looked up at the man. “Huh?”  
   
“I think I haven’t introduced myself properly before. My name is Hanzo, and I’m an art and math student,” the man, Hanzo, said with a nod. Jesse shot him a grin and tipped his hat.  
   
“Hanzo, huh? Well, if that ain’t a pretty name then put my hat upside down and call me Billy,” he said with a whistle.  
   
“Alright then, Billy,” Hanzo said and, before Jesse could react, reached over and turned his hat upside down. Jesse blinked slowly as he tried to take in what just happened. He watched as Hanzo snorted before he covered his mouth with a hand and muffled laughter escaped him.  
   
“S-sorry, I c-couldn’t h-help it,” Hanzo said between laughter. Jesse stared wide-eyed at him before he let out a chuckle, too stunned by the wonderful sound coming from the other to properly laugh.  
   
“Welp, seems like my name is Billy now. Heh, ain’t that gonna cause confusion,” he said and shook his head. His cheeks already hurt from all the grinning. He reached up and fixed his hat.  
   
“So,” he began when Hanzo calmed down a bit, ”what brings you here, sweetheart? Ain’t so normal to stumble into someone up here.” He motioned around them. It was getting darker by the minute and he was missing the sunset, but he think he prefers to look at Hanzo instead.  
   
Hanzo raised an eyebrow. “I can ask the same to you.”  
   
Jesse’s mind raced for an excuse. A believable one, an excuse that works for a young coffee shop worker with no supposed life. “I, uh, I’m escaping family,” fell out of his mouth. Hanzo tilted his head slightly and now that he had a base, a proper lie came out.  
   
“My parents have come for a visit, and while I do love them, they can get a bit overbearing at times.”  
   
“So,” Hanzo started out slow and with a hint of disbelief in his voice, “you thought it was best to hide up on a roof and smoke cigars.”  
   
Jesse nodded. “Papi is one hell of a tracker. If I’d been on the ground he would’ve found me within the hour. They have this uncanny sense of knowing whenever I’m trying to hide from them,” he explained. It felt strange to call Gabriel ‘papi’, but he hadn’t lied about that. The guy somehow always knew when one of them was trying to hide from him, and Jesse knew of noone that had been able to escape him.  
   
Hanzo chuckled. “Sounds like an interesting family,” he hummed and Jesse couldn’t help but to nod in agreement.  
   
He leaned a bit more backwards to make himself more comfortable. “So, how about you?”  
   
Hanzo gave a small shrug. “I was out training and decided to end it off with watching the sunset,” he said and nodded towards the setting sun. It was a bit more than halfway gone now.  
   
“Okay. Then do ya care to explain how ye came up from that side-” he pointed from where Hanzo had come up from “-and not from the ladder?” At this he pointed from where he had come.  
   
“I obviously climbed,” Hanzo said as if it was nothing. Jesse squinted his eyes.  
   
“Ya climbed.”  
   
“Yup.”  
   
“On a wall without any ladder.”  
   
“Yup.”  
   
“... Are ye some type of superhero?” This made Hanzo laugh and Jesse couldn’t stop admiring the sound.  
   
“No, I’m just a freerunner,” he said with a chuckle.  
   
“Freerunner?”  
   
“Yes. I climb and jump over buildings for fun,” Hanzo said with amusement clear in his voice. Jesse didn’t doubt that he enjoyed seeing Jesse so starstruck. He gave a whistle.  
   
“Well, I’ll be damned! That’s impressive!”  
   
A smug smile came to Hanzo’s lips. “When I’m not climbing buildings, I do rock climbing and archery.”  
   
“All that on top of studying? What did’ya say ye were studying again?”  
   
“Art and math.”  
   
“.... Darlin’, are ye sure you’re not superhuman? That sounds like an odd combination,” Jesse said and rubbed his neck. This man was getting more and more amazing.  
   
Hanzo chuckled. “To be honest, I don’t do much of the freerunning lately, or rock climbing. When I’m not studying, I do archery most of the time. Gives me more time to relax my mind,” he said and Jesse nodded.  
   
“Can see that. I’m a bit of a gunslinger myself. Papi taught me how to shoot back at the old ranch,” he said and tipped his hat down a bit. He was going to need to write these lies down so he could remember them later.  
   
“Oh? So you are a real cowboy, then?” Hanzo said with a raised eyebrow. Jesse put a hand over his heart in mock offense.  
   
“How dare ya? How dare ya to hurt my feelings?” he said and started to pout as Hanzo began to laugh. He crossed his arms and looked away with a huff.  
   
“And here I was thinkin’ ye were pretty,” he grumbled and refused to look at Hanzo when he poked him in the shoulder, still trying to hold back his laughter.  
   
“Aw, come on, cowboy. Is there any way I can make up for you?” Hanzo asked and Jesse glanced at him to see him grin big. Jesse unfolded from his position and began to rub his chin in thought.  
   
“Well, I suppose…” he began but slowly trailed off. He opted to pat the roof beside him. “Sit and talk with me for a bit?” He looked hopefully at Hanzo who shook his head, but the small smile on his lips kept the hope up.  
   
“The sun is nearly gone and you still want to stay here?” he questioned. Jesse shrugged.  
   
“Well, I mean… If ya don’t need to be somewhere? I don’t mind staying hidden for a bit longer.”  
   
He couldn’t stop the goofy grin when Hanzo sat down beside him and it didn’t disappear for a long time.


	4. Red/Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a tale that dragons can change their master when they have followed their first through life. Hanzo didn't believe in it. But he suppose he was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: Red/Blue
> 
> Sorry.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!

The sound of explosions, gunfire and shouts roared over the the streets, preventing Hanzo from being able to properly hear what’s going on around him.  
   
“Kuso-!” he cursed, pressing a hand over the wound in his stomach in a weak attempt to stop the bleeding. He wasn’t sure what had gone wrong, the escort mission had begun calmly and they had almost reached their point where the would drop the cargo off but then several explosions had gone off around them.  
   
Hanzo closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. An ambush probably.  
   
“ _Status report!_ ” shouted Jack in the earpiece. The others shouted out how they were doing, minor wounds so far but they were being pressed hard. Hanzo winced before he raised a shaking hand to it.  
   
“Hanzo here. I was pressed down into an alley, but I’m otherwise fine,” he said, gritting his teeth through the pain. He couldn’t let the others come here, it was a deathtrap.  
   
“ _I’m coming, Han,_ ” Jesse said but Hanzo shook his head.  
   
“I said I’m fine! Escort the payload! We can’t lose it!” he hissed and there was a split second of silence before Jack agreed. Hanzo smiled weakly as Jesse grumbled but didn’t otherwise protest. He hesitated for a moment before he opened his mouth again.  
   
“I promise I’ll be right back, Jesse. See you at the ship.”  
   
“ _I’ll hold ya to it,_ ” Jesse grumbled and Hanzo smiled. A short laugh left him when Genji and Hana groaned and Ana chuckled. He bit the inside of his cheek as the pain made itself known again.  
   
“ _Come on everyone, focus!_ ” Jack barked and everyone’s focus shifted. Hanzo let his hand fall and straightened out his back and took a deep breath. This was nothing, he had gotten worse before.  
   
He sent out a sonic arrow through the gap and when he saw no one, he ran forward and climbed the building. He balanced on the roof and nocked an arrow and sent it flying towards one of the guys that was running towards Hana. He didn’t watch if the arrow hit its mark as a bullet whistled past him. He cursed and slid down to the edge of the roof, preparing to jump to the other house.  
   
Pain erupted from his launching leg and he gave a yell as the jump didn’t get enough power to reach the other side. He grasped for anything to slow down his fall and his hand caught a windowsill but the momentum teared at his shoulder and he lost his grip before he could grab it with his other hand. He landed on a dumpster and his vision swam. A groan left him as he forced his body to roll off the dumpster and onto the ground. He crawled to the wall so he could lean on it for a moment to gather his surroundings.  
   
The sound of footsteps made his mind snap to attention and he grabbed his bow and had it drawn and loaded with an arrow when one of the ambushers stepped into the small alley he had ended up in. He released the arrow and watched with satisfaction as it went through the man’s throat.  
   
The satisfaction was short lived when his chest hurt and he had to cough. Something splattered against the back of his hand and he slowly pulled back the hand and looked blankly at the red splatter. Blood. He blinked slowly and looked down his torso. The wound in his stomach had been bleeding steadily which was proven by the trail running downwards towards his leg, but above it was a new one which was quickly reddening.  
   
He let out a soft curse and let his head fall back towards the wall. His body was already coming off the shock from three wounds and he was starting to feel drained.  
   
“ _-nzo! Hanzo!_ ” came from the earpiece, making him aware of the battle once again.  
   
“What?” he said more weakly than he had intended. Fear began to grew inside of him. He didn’t want his teammates to hear him like this.  
   
“ _What happened?! Ya yelled!_ ” Jesse asked, his worry and fear clear as a day.  
   
“ _Are you hurt?_ ” Ana asked and Hanzo had to refine him from chuckling.  
   
“I got shot in the leg as I tried to jump to the other building. Nothing to worry about, just a scratch. Focus on the payload,” he said with as much authority as he could. He felt his dragons stir under his skin and two presence in his mind bleeding out worry.  
   
“ _If you got hurt then we need to get to you!_ ” Hana insisted and Hanzo slowly shook his head.  
   
“Don’t. There is a lot of people between me and you. Get the payload to safety, I’ll meet you there. Hanzo out.” He didn’t let them sound their protest before he turned of the earpiece. He closed his eyes and let his body relax. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get away, he had already lost a lot of blood. But he couldn’t let the others get to him, that would be a suicide mission.  
   
A weight made it known on his chest and he opened his eyes to see two small, blue dragons look up at him with worry. Idun gave a whine and Akane buffed it’s nose against his cheek. He gave them a soft smile and lifted a shaking hand to scratch Idun behind one of its horns.  
   
“Sorry,” he mumbled and both of them let out whines. Both of them pushed against his hand and he tried to scratch them the best he could with only one hand. The other laid limply at the ground, Storm Bow held in a loose grip.  
   
“I wasn’t a very good master, was I? I am very sorry. You would have been better off with someone else,” he continued and protests echoed inside his mind, both from Idun and Akane. He slowly shook his head and tried to fight off the dizzy spell the movement created.  
   
“If you had been with someone else, then you wouldn’t have been in this situation. Now you are just going to disappear together with my soul.” The words made his throat close off and it was hard to speak, Idun’s and Akane’s protest not helping. They kept reassuring him that they had been happy with him, that he was a good master. He only swallowed and continued to scratch them.  
   
He almost sat straight up when a scale fell off Idun. He blinked and stared at the blue scale, watching as the glow in it slowly dulled to a cold blue. He turned his gaze towards Idun. A red one had replaced the blue fallen one. He looked at the dragons’ faces as they whined and continued to rub against him in a weak attempt to comfort him.  
   
“Are you… shedding?” he slurred as more and more scales began to fall off, only to be replaced by red ones. Hanzo had heard tales of dragons switching masters instead of following them to the grave, but he had never considered it to be true. After all, dragons was supposed to follow their master through their whole life. But then again, it wasn’t as if he had long left.  
   
A weak chuckle turned into a coughing fit, blood almost refusing him any air. Akane hissed before it curled around his neck and whined. Idun pushed its head under his palm when he was done coughing and licked his wrist.  
   
“I hope your new master will take care of you, otherwise I’ll be forced to rise up from the grave and haunt their ass,” he slurred and Akane drag its body just a little closer.  
   
“Hanzo!”  
   
Hanzo slowly looked up from his dragons, the red spots being all over their bodies, to the man rushing into the alley.  
   
“Hanzo!” Jesse exclaimed as his eyes fell on the blood covered man at the end of the short alley. His heart got stuck in his throat as he saw those normally lifeful eyes oddly dull. He fell down to his knees beside Hanzo and collected the man into his arms, mindful of the dragons and the wounds. Idun moved from its spot and climbed over to Jesse’s shoulder and whined. Akane uncurled from its position around Hanzo’s neck a slithered around Jesse’s arm with its head resting by Hanzo’s cheek and licked it.  
   
“... Jesse?” Hanzo slurred as he was pressed into a warm body and protective arms. He felt his body relax and he felt safe.  
   
“Hanzo, stay with me! Ana, we need you here! Hanzo is- dammit!” Jesse cursed and pressed a hand on the wound in his chest. His breath hitched when Hanzo raised a shaking hand and put it on his cheek, prompting Jesse to lean down and curl over him.  
   
“Stay with we, sugarplum. Ana’s on her way, just stay with me a little longer,” Jesse mumbled and begged Hanzo with his eyes to listen.  
   
“Jesse…” Hanzo began but coughing interrupted him.  
   
“Shh, don’t talk, sweetheart. Save your strength.” Jesse said and stroke away some loose hair with his nose. Hanzo smelled of too much blood and his skin was cold.  
   
“Jesse,” Hanzo insisted and let his hand fall from Jesse’s cheek in order to grip his serepe, “take care of them. Take care of Idun and Akane.”  
   
Jesse shook his head, his throat beginning to close up. “Nah, darlin’, ain’t my job to do. It’s yours.” The whines from the dragons made sadness overwhelm him and he shook his head.  
   
“Jesse, please. A-and Genji-. Promise.” Jesse wouldn’t had heard what Hanzo said if he hadn’t been so close.  
   
He was going to protest again, to assure Hanzo that Ana would be here any second and that he would be patched up and that he didn’t need Jesse to promise these things, but something in his mind laid heavily there and made him consider the words.  
   
“Okay. I promise. I’ll take care of the noodles and Genji and- and-” a weak and desperate laugh left him “-and I’ll even promise to take care of the rest of the team too, as long as ya promise to stay with me, okay?”  
   
Hanzo smiled softly and let his body completely relax, save from the hand that was still gripping weakly at the serepe.  
   
Jesse leaned down the last stretch and placed a kiss on Hanzo’s lips. It was returned and it felt like lasted forever but at the same time it felt like it wasn’t long enough.  
   
They broke the kiss and Jesse put his forehead on Hanzo’s.  
   
“I love ya, Hanzo. Hell, I tell ye that everyday and yet it’s not enough. I love ya, I love ya. I love ya more than the moon and all the stars surrounding it, I love ya more than the sky and the earth together,” he whispered and all Hanzo could do was to smile. His eyes felt heavy so he let them fall close. He listened to the whispers of love being repeated over and over. He didn’t mind.  
   
He let out a soft sigh and he felt all of the pain leave him.  
   
-  
   
“Hanzo?” Jesse mumbled when the grip on the serepe lossened. “Darlin’? Come on, didn’t we have a deal? That ya would stay with me until Ana came and I would take care of everyone else in exchange? Come on, sweetheart.” He lifted his hand from the wound and carefully touched Hanzo’s cheek. He gave a weak shake but Hanzo was no more than a ragdoll in his arms.  
   
“No. No, no, no, nononono! Hanzo, sweetheart, sugerplum, please wake up!” he begged but it only fell on ears that couldn’t hear anymore.  
   
**Kill.** Hanzo was dead. **Murderers!** Hanzo, the love of his life, was dead. **Kill them!** They had killed him. **Revenge!**  
   
An overwhelming anger and rage washed over him and it took all of his willpower not to hurt Hanzo. The presences in his mind begged to be released, to extract revenge to those who had killed his beloved.  
   
Jesse slowly laid Hanzo down so he laid comfortably before he gripped his Peacekeeper and rose up to his feet. One bullet left. **Let’s tear them down! Let’s shred them to pieces!**  
   
He walked towards the open street, he ignored Ana when she came rushing in, a medkit in her hand, and Hana just behind her, covering their back. He ignored Hana’s startled shout of warning when he walked past her and out into the street. All he cared for was to **kill!**  
   
There were too many enemies out there. He didn’t care. His right arm was burning hotter than scalding water and his mind was roaring in rage. **They deserve to be slaughtered for what they did to our master!**  
   
With an inhuman roar Jesse lifted his gun and fired.  
   
The roar grew in volume as two red dragons rushed forward, rage and anger welling from them. They bounced from place to place, tearing and shredding everyone that comes in their way. Screams of pain and fear slowly died out as the dragons picked out the enemies one by one, until they faded out when there was no one left to destroy.  
   
Jesse was breathing hard and he was staring blankly at the massacre. He let his arm drop and he didn’t notice when Peacekeeper slid out of his grip.  
   
Sadness and regret took the place of the anger and rage. **Sorry…** He sank down to his knees and his body started to tremble. **We’re so sorry…** Hanzo was dead. **We couldn’t protect him.** He should’ve searched for him directly after they had been separated. **We failed our duty.** He could’ve brought Ana there earlier. **We failed to protect our master.** He should’ve used Deadeye earlier. **We’re so sorry, Jesse.**  
   
Jesse let out a scream full of sorrow and curled into himself. His body was shaking and tears streamed from his eyes. His voice hurt from the screaming but he couldn’t stop. Everything hurt too much.  
   
“Ana, subdue him.”  
   
“What?! Are you nuts, old man?! That’s the last thing Jesse needs now!”  
   
“We need to move-”  
   
“You-!”  
   
“He’s right, Hana. We need to move to safety and Jesse is unresponsive. We need him to move.”  
   
“That’s not fair! Genji, tell them!”  
   
“...”  
   
“Wh- Genji?!”  
   
“Hana, please calm down-”  
   
“No! I’m not! I just lost someone who I consider an uncle and now you are gonna treat Jesse as an _animal_?! No! I’m not calming down!”  
   
“... I’ll go get her…”  
   
“Thank you, Genji. We’ll meet up at the aircraft. Stay safe, dear.”  
   
“Ana, hurry up. We need to move.”  
   
“Sometimes I think you have forgotten that you need to handle youth with care. Now, help me here.”  
   
Jesse felt something prick his neck and he didn’t fight it as darkness pulled him in.  
   
He dreamt about blue and red dragons.  
   
~  
   
Jesse felt exhausted when he finally gained consciousness. He opened his eyes and blinked up towards white roof. The medbay roof, he realized after a few minutes. A weight on his chest and stomach made him lift his head. Two small, red dragons laid curled there and appeared to be sleeping. He blinked in confusion and studied the one on his chest as it woke up.  
   
“... Idun? Akane?” he mumbled and lifted his left hand, his right arm felt too wrapped up to move, to scratch the dragon behind its horn. A purr left Idun.  
   
“What are ya doing here? Why aren’t ya with Hanzo?” A sadness grew in his chest that didn’t feel like his own. His confusion only grew.  
   
**We’re sorry, Master Jesse.**  
   
Jesse frowned. “What are ya sorry for?”  
   
He didn’t get to listen to the dragons’ answer as the door to the medbay opened and in walked Angela, Jack and Genji.  
   
“Ah. Jesse. You’re awake,” Angela said with a tired smile. Jesse could see Jack and Angela glance at each other but Genji stared at him.  
   
Jesse nudged the dragons to lie down in his lap instead on his torso before he sat up and leaned against the wall.  
   
“Yup, that I am. So, how bad was it?” he asked with a grin but it slowly fell as he felt tension in the room grow. “Uh, my injury? If I hadn’t been hurt badly I wouldn’t have ended up here, right?”  
   
Angela looked down into the floor, Jack looked impassive, Genji closed his fists and looked away and the sadness inside of him grew stronger. Dread, that he could identify as his own, griped him.  
   
“Spit it out. What happened? I still feel all of my limbs, or am I in some type of limbo? Maybe that’s why I see Idun and Akane as red instead of their usually blue.” He knew he was rambling towards the end. It feels like he already knew what had happened, but he denied it with his whole heart.  
   
Angela sighed and sat down to the left beside Jesse’s bed. Jack stood by the feet and Genji sat down to the right.  
   
Angela laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him a sorrowful face. “You are here because Ana was forced to subdue you.”  
   
Jesse didn’t let her continue. “Why would she be forced to do that?” he demanded.  
   
“McCree, let the doctor finish,” Jack said and Jesse looked over to him, a bit shocked to see that he had removed his mask. And the sadness was clear as a day in his eyes.  
   
Jesse looked over to Genji with pleading eyes. The cyborg had too removed his mask, but he wasn’t meeting Jesse’s eyes.  
   
“Hanzo is dead.”  
   
It was Genji who had spoken. And Jesse stared at him. He took in every detail of Genji. The small trembles in his body, the redness in his eyes and his unsteady breathing.  
   
Jesse swallowed against the lump in his throat. “Now, that can’t be true. I mean, Idun and Akane are still here. They are right here,” he said and motioned towards the dragons in his lap. But even he didn’t believe his words. He looked over at Angela.  
   
“Hanzo told me that dragons stay by their master’s side through their whole life before they move on. And Idun and Akane are still here, so that means Hanzo is still alive, right?”  
   
Angela didn’t say anything. Or look at him.  
   
“Jesse. Take a look on your right arm,” Genji said and when Jesse looked at him, Genji was staring at said arm. As if that was the cue, Angela rose up from her seat and walked over to the right side. She took his arm in her hands and began to remove the bandages.  
   
Jesse stared as a tattoo was slowly revealed. A tattoo of two red dragons dancing around each other. It looked like Hanzo’s, but red instead.  
   
“There is a tale that a Shimada’s dragon can change master if their original is dying. This apparently happened only if the first master cared deeply about someone, as the dragons took it upon themselves to protect the bloodline,” Genji said in a low voice. Jesse felt numb.  
   
He stared at the tattoo until his heart hurt too much and he leaned back and stared up into the ceiling. “Oh.”  
   
The silence was heavy in the room.  
   
Jack cleared his throat after several minutes. “We’ll be keeping the funeral in a couple of days. You’ll be off duty until that and a week after that. Then, we’ll see how you are feeling,” he said. Then his voice softened.  
   
“I’m so sorry, Jesse. He was a good man.” With that the man left the medbay.  
   
Angela and Genji stayed longer, but eventually both of them left too. Idun and Akane stayed in his lap.  
   
~  
   
It rained during the funeral. Jesse found it ironic that the heavens cried when he himself couldn’t bring forth a tear. The funeral was quiet. Just like when Gabriel Reyes had died. After all, there wasn’t many people who would mourn a former assassin outside their small group. It was just like Hanzo would’ve liked it.  
   
The tears didn’t find Jesse when he finally dared to go into their shared bedroom. He briefly thought about removing the longsleeved shirt he had, but decided against it. He wasn’t ready to see the tattoo.  
   
It wasn’t until he laid down on the bed that sadness, his own and not the dragons’, washed over him and he curled into himself. He cried himself to sleep.  
   
The dreams was filled dancing dragons.


End file.
